The biggest footballing spectacle FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia is just a day away. Soccer lovers all over the world just can wait for the tournament to begin. In order to help spur the biggest soccer festival that is about to take the world by storm, I have put together 21 key facts from the 21st edition of the FIFA World Cup to be hosted by Russia.
- Russia will host the 21st edition of the FIFA World Cup 2018. The first World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930 exactly 88 years ago.
- This is for the first time that Russia will host the FIFA World Cup. Russia will be the biggest country to host the World Cup. It will for the first time that an Eastern European country will host the tournament.
- 2018 World Cup is the first in history to witness matches in two different continents — Europe and Asia. Russia as a country covers the entirety of Northern Asia and much of Eastern Europe.
- The distance between the easternmost (Kaliningrad) and westernmost (Ekaterinburg) host cities in Russia is about the same as the distance between Moscow and London (2,424 kilometers, 1,500 miles).
- Brazil is the only nation to have played in every World Cup and has won the title five times, more than any other nation.
- This is Russia’s eleventh appearance in the World Cup. Their best finish was a fourth position in the 1966 World Cup in England.
- The World Cup matches in Russia will be held in eleven cities and twelve stadiums. The opening and the final match will be played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
- The mascot for the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 was selected through online voting. The name of the mascot is Wolf Zabivaka and was designed by a student called Ekaterina Bocharova. It represents an anthropomorphic wolf with brown and white fur. The word ‘anthropomorphic’ stands for attributes of human trait and emotion.
- This World Cup will see the debuts of two new teams: Iceland and Panama. Iceland is the smallest nation to qualify for a World Cup (just 334,000 in population).
- This is for the first time Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology will be used in a World Cup. This technology will minimize refereeing mistakes during a game.
- ADIDAS Telstar 18 will be used as the official match ball in Russia. It is designed to be a modern interpretation of the iconic 1970 Telstar ball used in the 1970 World Cup. The ball only has six textured panels seamlessly glued in an innovative design. It has been produced in Sialkot, Pakistan.
- FIFA will use a system to strictly monitor racism and discrimination. Referees will also have the right to stop or abandon a game if racist or other discriminatory incidents occur.
- No VISA is required to enter Russia during the World Cup tournament.
- Italy failed to qualify after exactly six decades. The last time they failed to qualify was in the 1958 World Cup held in Sweden. They are one of the only eight teams to win the tournament, who will not be participating in Russia.
- The FIFA World Cup qualifications started in March 2015 between Mongolia and East Timor. Zimbabwe was expelled from the qualifiers by the FIFA as they failed to pay an outstanding debt to their coach Silly. Indonesia was also banned by AFC because their Government meddled in their domestic league. After a year or so FIFA lifted the ban on Indonesia.
- For the first time since 1986, the US men’s national team didn’t qualify for the World Cup. More embarrassing was that Fox Sports paid a reported whopping $400 million (€324 million) for broadcasting rights for FIFA World Cup 2018.
- The 2018 opener will make history as it becomes the first World Cup opener to be played by the two lowest-ranked teams in the competition (Saudia Arabia 67th, Russia 70th).
- Aged 45, legendary Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary is set to become the oldest player ever at a World Cup.
- A fourth substitute will be allowed in extra time of the FIFA World Cup 2018.
- Peru returns to the World Cup for the first time since the 1982 World Cup held in Spain– the longest absence of any team playing in Russia.
- The official FIFA World Cup 2018 poster is a throwback to legendary Russian goalkeeper Lev Yashin. He played for USSR in the 1958 and 1970 World Cups and is still the only keeper to win the Ballon d’Or.
